We unveiled natural ingredients with special properties for the food industry

A Mycelium collective intelligence joint bet with Valrhona and SOSA

Mycelium set out to complete an exercise of collective intelligence about the existence and properties of natural ingredients with specific intrinsic characteristics that make them hard to find. The goal was to find alternatives to more classical ingredients used by chefs and artisans worldwide, given new trends of sustainable production, plant-based push, and cleaning up labels in general.

The results exceeded our expectations and made us happy we made a bet, and it turns out the whole is indeed more than the sum of its parts. We pinpointed amazing ingredients that show the way to sensible substitutions, and we have paved the way for sustainable sourcing given the network's global reach.

The Challenge

How might we leverage the collective intelligence of our global, multidisciplinary network to find natural ingredients with specific functionalities and characteristics?

How we tackled it

We explored the scope and concept of “natural ingredient” and “specific properties” within the R&D teams of Valrhona and SOSA, to create alignment and set the direction for our exploration

  1. We took on a global network scanning of ingredients, preliminary selection, and prioritization: with a portfolio vision, we select about 20 ingredients from nearly 90 initials. The criteria used for the selection of the portfolio were origin, functionality, biological classification, and specific characteristics. Mycelium suggested a prioritization considering other strategic variables such as versatility in its use and accessibility.

  2. We then went back to the group of experts to hold discussion groups about possible mechanisms of function of the ingredients, applications, and hypotheses of future uses. The outcomes were prioritized to explore the most promising ingredients in the short and mid-term development pipelines.

Deliverables

10 viable natural ingredients with specific properties, organized in an innovation pipeline portfolio.

Scope

  • More than 90 natural ingredients with specific properties identified by Mycelium collective intelligence

  • Selection and characterization of 20 natural ingredients with specific properties

  • More than 50 experts involved in ingredient scanning

    Profiles of chefs, chemists, food technologists, nutritionists and anthropologists from five continents.

Meet the Team Involved

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a light-colored button-up shirt with the top button undone. Black and white photo against a plain background.

    Estefania Simon-Sasyk

  • Black and white photo of a smiling woman with long hair, resting her chin on her hand, sitting indoors.

    Patricia Jurado

  • Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a headband, earrings, a necklace, and a casual t-shirt, against a dark background.

    Nabila Rodríguez Valerón

  • Eli Puiggròs

  • Close-up black-and-white photo of a young woman with curly hair, smiling, wearing a textured top and a beaded necklace visible around her neck.

    Constanza Díaz del Castillo Velásquez

  • A man smiling and wearing glasses and a baseball cap, taking a selfie outdoors with a mountain and a cloudy sky in the background.

    Shubham Sandilya

  • Ana Lobato

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with long hair, glasses, and a tattoo on her shoulder, smiling at the camera.

    Adriana Sánchez

  • Close-up of a smiling person with short dark hair, wearing glasses, a collared shirt, and a blazer, standing in front of a brick wall.

    Dr. Bryan Quoc Le

  • Black and white photo of a man wearing a beanie, glasses, a coat, and a plaid shirt, standing outdoors with a cloudy sky in the background.

    John Hutt

  • A woman wearing glasses and a white t-shirt with an apron stands in a kitchen next to a cooling rack with baked bread. Behind her are shelves and a window.

    Lu Sakugawa

  • Black and white portrait of a young man with glasses, short curly hair, and a slight beard, wearing a casual t-shirt, indoors.

    Fernando Peñuela

  • A black and white photo of a young man with dark wavy hair, round glasses, a beard and mustache, wearing a textured sweater, standing against a plain wall.

    Ricardo Carvajal

  • Black and white photo of a young man wearing a backward baseball cap, looking to the side with a slight smile.

    Borja Sánchez Montoya

  • A smiling man outdoors in a black shirt with a blurred cityscape background.

    Octavio Teruel

  • Black and white photo of a male chef with short hair and a beard, wearing a chef's coat that says 'Modernist Cuisine,' standing in front of a brick oven.

    Francisco Migoya

  • A smiling man in a chef's uniform and apron standing outdoors in a wooded area, with others in the background.

    Kike Gallardo

  • A smiling woman with curly hair wearing a patterned top and a dark jacket, standing outdoors in front of ancient ruins or stone structures.

    Estefanía Baldeon

  • Black and white photo of a woman standing behind a soda fountain, smiling, with a sign that says "The Soda Fountain" in front of her and a potted plant in the background.

    Karla Bretoneche

MORE ABOUT US

And the Institutions

“The work done was of a rare relevance and quality. I am certain that new avenues of innovation will emerge.”

Julien Bourgeay — Head of R&D at Valrhona Food Service Premium Portfolio

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Fotografía del 8 de julio de 2024 que muestra a una mujer caminando por una chacra (huerta, en quechua) en Sharamentsa (Ecuador). EFE/Irene Morante De La Hera